The Phillies Zone

The Phillies have signed catcher Brian Schneider to a two-year contract to back up Carlos Ruiz, the team announced today.

The contract is worth just under $3 million, with no option for a third year, a source told the Inquirer.

Schneider, 33, has, is a 10-year MLB veteran with the Montreal Expos/Washington Nationals and New York Mets. He has a .251 career batting average, with 59 home runs and 356 RBIs.

The catcher attended Northampton Area High School, and still owns property in Allentown.

“We feel Brian is ideal for our ballclub,” general manager Ruben Amaro Jr said in a statement. “He has played in the NL East for this entire decade, so he knows the opposing hitters in this division well and he has also proven he can handle the bat. He’s a guy that we would feel comfortable with playing for an extended period of time, if needed.”

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Schneider's agent, Brodie Van Wagenen, said that he was engaged in serious discussions with seven teams regarding Schneider, three of which were interested in making him their starting catcher (he declined to name the teams).

"Brian had several exciting opportunities," Van Wagenen said. "But the opportunity to win for the first time in his career, and to do it so close to where he grew up, turned out to be the deciding factor."